The United States Embassy in Bosnia welcomed the decision by the High Representative in the country to use his special powers to secure the full amount of funds for the October 2022 general elections, while criticising political leaders who are “using elections as a political bargaining chip.”
The statement comes after Christian Schmidt, who is the international community's official overseeing the civilian implementation of the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement in BiH, used the Bonn powers on Tuesday.
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“With this decision, I order the following, and that is that the Central Election Commission will receive the amount of 12.5 million marks, which was initially determined for the preparation and organising of the elections,” Schmidt explained.
“We welcome High Representative Schmidt’s decision today to protect BiH’s democracy by providing the CEC with the full amount of funds it requires to organize October 2 general elections,” the US Embassy posted on Twitter.
It also welcomed the Schmidt’s amendments to the Law on Financing of BiH Institutions and the BiH Election Law, “which will help ensure funding for this country’s elections can no longer be held hostage by ill-intentioned political actors in the future.”
“It is unfortunate that irresponsible leaders chose to disrespect BiH citizens’ fundamental rights in this democracy by using elections as a political bargaining chip,” the embassy said, stressing that “periodic, free, and fair elections are a guarantee” under the Dayton Agreement, as well as a fundamental right enshrined in BIH’s constitution.
“The international community will continue to use the tools at its disposal to protect the integrity and functionality of both Dayton and BiH institutions. Political leaders who threaten either must be held accountable,” it said.
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